{"id":13408,"date":"2018-05-24T12:34:51","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T06:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/?p=13408"},"modified":"2018-05-28T11:46:44","modified_gmt":"2018-05-28T11:46:44","slug":"the-ukiyo-e-of-the-museu-nacional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/en\/the-ukiyo-e-of-the-museu-nacional\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ukiyo-e of the Museu Nacional"},"content":{"rendered":"
Al\u00edcia Cornet<\/h6>\n

The ukiyo-e<\/em>\u00a0 in context<\/h3>\n

A ukiyo-e is a type of xylographic printing in colour that was produced in Japan during the Edo period<\/a> (1603-1868) and the Meiji period<\/a> (1868-1912).<\/p>\n

During the period of stability and peace that Japan lived in the Edo period, governed by the Tokugawa family, this led to the growth of the economy and the increase in the population in urban settings.\u00a0 Various factors contributed to this: the move of the government to Edo, present day Tokyo, the commercial isolation that Japan underwent during this period, and the new system of residence for the feudal lords.<\/p>\n

In 1603, the emperor conceded the title of shogun<\/em> (generalissimo) to Ieyasu <\/em>Tokugawa who imposed a military government with its headquarters in Edo and isolated Japan from the outside world.\u00a0 <\/strong>The ban on Japan from trading with foreign powers caused traders to have the monopoly on the Japanese market and, as a result, significantly increased their economic power.<\/p>\n

\"Detail<\/a>

Detail of engraving\u00a0Yaomatsu Restaurant in Makurabashi (Thirty-six Modern Restaurants)<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Toyohara Kunichika,\u00a0<\/em>circa 1878<\/p><\/div>\n

A new system of residence<\/strong> was restored in 1635 for the feudal lords (Daimy\u014d<\/em><\/a>) which obliged them to reside in the city during alternate years to serve the shog\u00fan<\/em>. While they lived in the city, the feudal lords, accompanied by their entourage and families, became wealthy craftsmen and merchants. By the end of the year, they could return to their fiefdoms, but their families remained in the city. The trips between Edo and the fiefdoms were expensive and, for this reason, the feudal lords lost their purchasing power and had to apply for loans to wealthy merchants.<\/p>\n

The cities increased their population, a part of the craftsmen and merchants became wealthy, and around the cities, a new social group was formed, the chonin <\/em>(people of the city), who played a fundamental role in the appearance of a new culture far from the rigidity of the traditional culture.\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cities such as Edo, Kioto and Osaka, filled their centres with entertainment centres where the residents could enjoy their leisure time contemplating representations by the kabuki<\/em> theatre, sumo fights or visiting the neighbourhoods of pleasure. But not all the households had the purchasing power to enjoy the entertainment offered by the city and the alternative to these was the ukiyo-e<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Themes of the prints<\/h3>\n

The themes of the prints were a reflection of the lifestyle of the wealthiest inhabitants of the city. Scenes from the kabuki theatre with their actors (yakusha-e<\/a>) were one of the most represented themes, as well as the genre of pretty women (bijin-ga)<\/a> in which very often the protagonists were the elegant courtiers from the neighbourhoods of pleasure.<\/p>\n

\"Kikugawa<\/a>

Kikugawa Eizan, Cortesana. Forms part of an album with seventy prints<\/a>,\u00a0end of the 18th century \u2013 mid-19th century<\/p><\/div>\n

The ukiyo-e<\/em> had a major impact on the society of the time.\u00a0 We have to think that the actors of the kabuki theatre were considered to be super stars, with fans who followed and admired them, and that the women represented on the prints in their kimonos, make-up and hairstyles, marked trends in the fashion of the time.\u00a0 Thus, the ukiyo-e<\/em> would be like our magazines and thanks to their massive production and low cost, could be acquired by all the sectors of the Japanese society.<\/p>\n

In addition to topics related to the theatre and the female figure, the artists of the prints represented scenes inspired by legends, mythology and historic events, as well as landscapes (fukei-ga<\/em>) and war scenes (musha-e<\/em>), amongst others.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Utagawa Kunitsuna,\u00a0Death of Imagawa Yoshimoto in the Battle of Okehazama (Okehazama no honjin Imagawa Yoshimoto uchijimi zu)<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0circa 1840-1868<\/p><\/div>\n

Elaboration of a ukiyo-e<\/em><\/h3>\n

To elaborate a ukiyo-e <\/em>the following process was followed:<\/p>\n